As
the indoor tennis season draws near, take a few minutes to look around your
indoor court building. What you see, or maybe more importantly, what you don't
see, could mean the difference between a successful facility and one players may
pass up for a better built complex. No longer are the standard four walls, white
painted ceiling and overhead warehouse lights enough. Today's state-of-the-art
facilities are highly sophisticated, intensively designed environments meant to
cater to discerning players and cost-conscious managers. In today's competitive
market, facility owners and managers, whether renovating or starting new, need
to know what key components contribute to a well planned indoor tennis court
building. Since a great deal has already been written about planning pro shops,
locker rooms and player lounges, this article will focus specifically on where
the action is - the court buildings themselves.

What's
Important in Tennis Buildings

The
design of court buildings should address two major concerns: the cost
effectiveness of the building and its attractiveness to players. Cost
effectiveness means making the court building financially viable over both the
short and long term. Considerations such as initial construction (or renovation)
costs as well as annual energy consumption and maintenance expenses should be
factored into the planning of a building. This is particularly important from an
operational standpoint, as the initial cost of construction of a tennis building
typically amounts to approximately 33% of the building's total life cost over a
20 year period. Spending more wisely initially in terms of the thermal
efficiency of the building or getting the most light out of the least number of
fixtures, for instance, can have a tremendous impact on a facility's
profitability. The notion of making an indoor court building attractive to
players, meanwhile, involves more than cosmetic appearance. It means creating
the best possible environment for playing tennis. An attractive, well designed
court building makes a positive and lasting first impression on potential new
players, thereby increasing the marketability of the facility. What really draws
players to a facility and continues to hold their interest, though, is a court
building which offers consistent and comfortable playing conditions on all of
its courts.

Creating
the Ideal Indoor Court

The
ideal indoor court environment is one which offers a full 120' court length with
at least 18' between courts, divider curtains, finished ceiling heights of 18' at
the eaves with 38' at the ridge, an uncluttered overhead area to minimize ball
obstructions, uniform, glare-free lighting, with 70 to 100 footcandles
(maintained) for recreational play, excellent MI visibility, a building
temperature ranging between 55 to 62 degrees during winter and 10 to 15 degrees
below the outdoor temperature during summer, 55% to 60% humidity, an HVAC system
capable of changing the air within the building 6 to 8 times per hour at mini-
mal noise levels and without creating a draft on players, and a playing surface
that is comfortable, durable and will satisfy player needs and expectations.
Buildings which meet these 'ideals" will have a significant market
advantage over those facilities which do not. Moreover, buildings which meet
these ideals on only some of their courts will be at a disadvantage since
players will continually be vying for particular court assignments. Those
players who are relegated to unwanted courts will feel frustrated or
disappointed. Dissatisfaction among players ultimately results in lost revenue
for building operators.

Understanding
the Components of a Court Building

There
are five primary components within a tennis building which are important to
understand:

1.
Building
structure
2. CeilingLighting system
3. HVAC system and
4. Court surface

By
appreciating how each of these components work together as a cohesive system
with each component complementing the other, owners and managers can empower
themselves to make better, more informed decisions about the short and long term
outlook of their facilities.

1.
Building
Structures

Pre-engineered
steel frame buildings have traditionally been the most popular building type for
indoor tennis. Unfortunately this type of building was not designed with tennis
in mind. This building system relied on what is called a "wide-span"
structural system. With this system, the building usually measures 120' in
length from outside wall to outside wall. Columns placed inside the wall on 20'
to 30'spacing extend from 18" to 36" from the wall into the interior
of the building. With the installation of backdrops and player access alleys the
effective space for a tennis court is only 114' +/-, some 6' less than most
players are accustomed to. The resulting undersized courts have lead to numerous
law suits with players claiming injuries for running into columns or walls. To
avoid the problems of undersized courts, owners have had to rely on custom
engineered buildings which are significantly more expensive and time consuming
to erect and fabricate.

Recently,
the advent of new pre-engineered building technology called "long-bay"
has revolutionized the way in which tennis buildings can be built. Wide-bay
buildings utilize columns located 50' to 60' on center integrated into the outer
walls and columns at the ridge line. By locating the center columns between net
posts, the court building can be a full 120' in length with no structural
members protruding into the court space. The additional advantages of the
"long-bay" systems are that they require significantly less steel for
construction than do 'wide-span' systems. As a result, indoor court buildings
can be constructed for approximately $12,000 to $15,000 per court less than the
traditional systems which were already undersized by design. Less steel in the
building framing system also means less time required for assembly, which brings
further economies to the construction of tennis buildings.

2.
Ceilings

It
is important to understand that a ceiling is more than just a finishing touch to
an indoor tennis building. Ceiling systems can provide significant insulation
value to a building, control condensation, provide a vapor barrier which keeps
courts dry, improve the lighting of the court area, as well as to enhance the
overall indoor appearance. The most effective ceiling systems are ones that
combine fiberglass insulation with a highly reflective reinforced white fabric
which is resistant to ball puncture. The most efficient way to install an
insulated ceiling is to suspend it on the interior of the building framing. In
this way the court area is entirely thermally isolated from the structural steel
of the building. Structural steel that is exposed to warm, moist air of the
building during winter will generate condensation that will not only discolor
ceiling and court surface areas, but also lead to deterioration of the building
structure itself. During the summer, outside temperatures can heat the building
roof and structural members to temperatures as high as 160 degrees. Providing a
ventilated air space between the structure and a suspended insulation system
will minimize thermal gains, resulting in a significantly reduced expenditure
for cooling. A suspended ceiling is also the most attractive and most efficient
from a lighting stand point. It creates a flat, uniform surface which will
reflect the maximum amount of light back down to the court, without shadows or
glare.

3.
Lighting
Systems

It
goes without saying that a well designed tennis lighting system is crucial to
the success of an indoor tennis building. The lighting system should be designed
so that it does not interfere with balls in play and should also provide
uniform, glare-free illumination. The light fixtures proposed for the facility
should be designed specifically for tennis, meaning that they should provide
exceptionally high output, can withstand ball impacts, and have shields which
prevent balls from becoming lodged inside the fixture housing. Equally
important, light fixtures should be designed for easy maintenance without the
need for costly equipment to access the fixtures. Too often building managers
fail to realize that simply cleaning their fixtures and re-lamping them more
often will dramatically improve the lighting on their courts. Lighting fixtures,
therefore, should be chosen to facilitate this process.

A
lighting system should also be designed to be as efficient as possible since it
will account for a significant portion of the energy cost of the building
operation. Pendant mounted, 1000 watt metal halide indirect lighting (where the
fixture is aimed at the ceiling) is the best type of system to use if the
building itself is properly designed as an indoor tennis system. This type of
lighting provides excellent distribution, is glare free and provides a clean,
open appearance. Its success, however hinges upon the proper design of the
building structure and ceiling. Since an indirect system uses the ceiling to
reflect the lighting back down to the court, the more uniform and reflective the
ceiling is, the more efficient the system will be. If bulky roof beams and
columns require the ceiling to undulate, the resultant shadows can reduce the
lighting efficiency by as much as 60%. In order to compensate for this,
additional fixtures will be required. If just two fixtures more per court are
needed to compensate for a poor ceiling design, the annual cost of lighting each
court could increase by as much as $1,500-$2,500 per court depending on your
facility's geographic location. It is critical to understand, therefore, that
the design of the lighting system must be specific to each building in which it
is installed. Good lighting design should take into account the shape and
reflectivity of the ceiling, the number of fixtures to be used, the type of
lamps to be used in the fixtures, and the reflectivity of the other building
surfaces such as the wall, backdrops and court surface. All of these elements
together impact upon the overall efficacy of the lighting system.

4.
HVAC
Systems

Aesthetic
considerations are also important when choosing how to heat and cool your
building. Indoor operators frequently question the need for installing a cooling
system for a facility that is used primarily during the winter season. In
today's market, however, growing numbers of indoor centers are operating year
round. Planning a new or renovated building without air conditioning is
designing in obsolescence from the start. With a relatively small initial
investment, your facility can operate 12 months out of the year rather than 6 or
8 months.

In
terms of design, heating and cooling systems in tennis buildings should be low
profile in appearance with low noise levels. Gas fired infrared heating systems
are the most efficient systems available for indoor tennis. They are compact and
operate without noise. Located along the ends of courts, they can effectively
heat the building without the need for blowers or fans. Standard duct-type
heating and cooling systems are often loud and bulky. Duct work located between
courts or over playing areas can severely obstruct light distribution, creating
shadows which make ball visibility difficult. Duct work which extends over
courts also gets dirty quickly, remaining unsightly for longer periods of time
because it is difficult to clean. Duct work, if required, should be used only
for cooling systems and is best when mounted behind and slightly above backdrop
curtains. At this location, it does not interfere with the lighting system and
can be more easily maintained.

5.
Court
Surfaces

Choice
of playing surface is probably the most important decision in defining the
market the facility will serve. Too often decisions about the court surface
system are left until the building is almost completely finished, rather than
being carefully considered before the start of new construction or renovation.
The tennis playing surface is one of the most important elements in the
building. After all, people are coming to the facility to play tennis. Choosing
an asphalt pavement with an inexpensive color system might make sense in terms
of overall construction cost, but may not meet the needs of the growing numbers
of players who are turning to facilities which feature more player friendly
surfaces such as cushioned surface systems, fast-dry, synthetic clay or
sand-filled turf. Missing your market in terms of player preference can be
detrimental to a facility regardless of how well it is constructed and managed.
Deciding on what surface you will have can also impact numerous other decisions
about the facility. Repairs to cracked asphalt courts typically require access
for heavy machinery. Installing a fast-dry court requires special considerations
in the design of the building insulation, HVAC system and structural steel
footing connections to avoid costly moisture and condensation damage in the
future. Finally, accurately determining the projected light levels in the
building requires knowledge of the type and color of the proposed surface.
Surface color variations can effect light reflectivity by as much as 10%,
significantly impacting the amount of available light for play.

CONCLUSION

In
the final analysis, understanding the true key to success for creating a
state-of- the-art indoor tennis facility requires the following:

knowing
how to create the ideal tennis playing environment,

knowing
what to look for in the early stages of planning,

understanding
what the priorities should be, and

making
informed decisions about the proper building materials and methods of
construction.

With
these keys in hand, you too can unlock the future of a winning tennis facility.